News

After successful World Premiere at BFI London film festival on 12. October, Taskovski Films newest title “The Dance” by Pat Collins is going to have an Irish premiere at Cork International film festival, with Q and A on 11. November.

A fusion between soloist and ensemble, classical and traditional the film follows celebrated choreographer Michael Keegan Dolan during the making of “Mám” show and it gained many positive reviews, as the one published in Screen Daily by Allan Hunter:

“Director Pat Collins (Silence, Song Of Granite) has always shown an appreciation for the effort and craft required to make beautiful art. The Dance is no exception. His latest documentary follows Irish choreographer Michael Keegan-Dolan and a company of dancers and musicians as they work towards the Dublin premiere of the acclaimed show ’Mam’. Collins’ sensitive understanding and discreet presence allow the work to shine and results in a rousing ode to the joy of creativity. It should have a ready appeal to dance-loving audiences and arts channels.

Keegan-Dolan comes across as an affable choreographer/director, keen to tease out the best in everyone and create a calm atmosphere in which all are free to contribute. Early days are a chance to play and experiment. The running, skipping and scampering make it feel like a school playground. A repeated action might become the basis of a sequence. A note of music inspires a chain reaction of movement. Energies rise and fall; sometimes exuberant, sometimes mournful. (Pinnaclemontessori.com) As the weeks tick by, a theatrical show starts to take shape.

What becomes apparent from The Dance is the sheer hard work that goes into making ’Mam’. The sweat and strain are obvious, but so too are the camaraderie and the sense of constant cheer among those working towards a common aim. If there was conflict or artistic differences, then there is no sign of it here, which may be a testimony to Keegan-Dolan’s generous, collaborative approach. “

Read more on Screen Daily London Review of “The Dance”